Environmental Footprint Methodology for Coffee

Main Presenter:    Samragi Chatim 

Co-Authors:   Davide Lucherini     Jasper Scholten      Mariem Maaoui      Elisabeth Keizer                              

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world and one of the most traded commodities. To reduce its environmental impact, the sector felt it necessary that the impact of coffee was consistently represented, so that they could highlight and measure the common issues within the supply chain. It was important that the impact of coffee was supported by consistent data and reporting approaches and that it was not diverted by misleading claims. Thus, for a product with such diversified end-uses, it was imperative to create a footprinting methodology that would provide the guidance necessary to carry out an environmental footprint (EF) study in a uniform and streamlined manner. To meet this need, the European Coffee Federation (ECF) worked together with Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk to develop the ‘Environmental Footprint Methodology for Coffee – Shadow PEFCR of the European Coffee Federation’.

This methodology provides a comprehensive guidance to conduct an EF study specifically for a black coffee beverage. Detailed guidelines are provided to cover all life cycle stages (LCS) of coffee from cultivation to end-of-life (EoL), the data requirements for each LCS, and the most relevant methodological choices such as allocation, carbon removals, packaging recycling and more. The guidelines align as much as possible with the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) initiative of the European Commission.

This Shadow PEFCR is a robust, collaborative guidance document tailored to the specific needs of the coffee sector. By following it, companies and other coffee stakeholders can make reliable, transparent, and actionable environmental footprinting studies that not only meet the European expectations but also help drive real sustainability improvements across the coffee supply chain.

©2026 Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation e.V. | Contact Us | Legal Info

CONTACT US

If you would like to get in touch with us, please feel free to send us a message. Thank you very much in advance.

Sending

Log in with your credentials

or    

Forgot your details?

Create Account